Johns Hopkins awards analyst for LGBT trainings that teach physics lab supervisors how to 'leverage their authority' to 'mold' culture
The Diversity Leadership Council at Johns Hopkins University held its 21st annual Diversity Recognition Awards ceremony on May 10.
Award winners included the 'inaugural director of LGBTQ+ Life,' as well as the creator of the 'Critical Diaspora Studies' major.
The Diversity Leadership Council at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland held its 21st annual Diversity Recognition Awards ceremony, during which it recognized various individuals and groups who “have gone above and beyond to advance diversity and inclusion within the university.”
Demere Woolway, the Executive Director of Inclusive Excellence Education and Development at JHU, said she was thankful for the opportunity to see the different ways in which the school is promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
“The Diversity Recognition Awards was a spectacular chance to learn more about all the great work that is happening across Johns Hopkins,” she said. “I’m grateful to be able to do this work with such a committed group of people.”
Woolway also received the “James Calvin Award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” for her recognition as “JHU’s inaugural director of LGBTQ+ Life.”
Natalie Wang, a senior studying neuroscience and medicine, science, and the humanities, received an award for her contributions in launching JHU’s new “Critical Diaspora Studies” major. The major is part of the school’s “Program in Racism, Immigration, and Citizenship,” which focuses on the study of migration and “racial hierarchy.”
Wang, when asked about an event advertising the new major earlier this year, encouraged prospective students to not worry “about having the right answers.”
“This is something that gets said in the sciences, but it applies here too: It’s about asking the right questions, not about having the right answers,” she said. “This event is designed in that spirit, and we want people to come with questions. This new set of courses and this new major can step in as a response to that. It’s about inquiry. It’s about being curious.”
National security analyst Alana Crockett received an award for designing an LGBT training course for supervisors in the school’s Applied Physics Lab (APL). According to the university, the course was “informed by scholarly research into workplace LGBTQ+ issues as well as the personal experiences of APL leaders and staff members” and encouraged supervisors to “leverage their authority to mold the APL culture.”
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Founded in 1942, APL aims to “deliver innovative solutions to the nation’s most complex challenges,” while maintaining an “unwavering commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
“A diverse workforce and equitable and inclusive work environment enable us to develop talent and foster a culture in which all of us are comfortable being our authentic selves and sharing our ideas,” APL’s website reads. “Having everyone’s voice heard empowers us to be bold, do great things, and make the world a better place.”
Campus Reform has reached out to JHU, APL, Alana Crockett, and Demere Woolway for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.